Body of missing resident discovered in collapsed Iowa apartment building
Americans were horrified late last month to learn that an apartment building in Davenport, Iowa collapsed, leaving some residents trapped inside.
In a crushing blow to his family, the body of one of those residents was discovered this past weekend.
Remains of 42-year-old Branden Colvin
According to ABC News, the City of Davenport's chief strategy officer confirmed on Saturday that 42-year-old Branden Colvin's remains had been recovered.
Colvin's son, Branden Colvin Jr., gave an emotional interview to ABC News last week in which he said, "I know my dad's in there and there's nothing I can do ... wishing I could just run in there. I just want to talk to him, give him a hug, hear his voice, anything."
The network noted that Colvin was one of the last residents to remain unaccounted for along with 51-year-old Ryan Hitchcock and 60-year-old Daniel Prien, both of whom remain missing.
Officials believe that the missing men are probably located in an area of the structure which is "not sustainable for life."
Survivor: "It felt like there was an earthquake"
Among those to experience the disaster was Linnea Hoover, a journalist ABC Davenport affiliate WQAD who happened to live in the building.
"It felt like there was an earthquake, or somebody had rammed a bulldozer into the building," Hoover recalled in an interview with ABC News. "I can't describe the shaking. It felt like the ground was going to fall out from under me."
Meanwhile, building resident Lisa Brooks recounted to ABC News how rescuers managed to pull her out of the collapsed structure.
"I was petrified, I was scared ... but I had to just relax. ... only thing I can do is stay by the window where the air is," Brooks explained, adding that she "was just so afraid I was gonna die" and not see her children and grandchildren again.
ABC News noted that Davenport officials warned as early as last Tuesday that "[t]he stability of the building continues to degrade."
Family members resist call for demolition
While that led to suggestions that the parts of the building which remained standing should be demolished for safety reasons, those calls were resisted after an individual was found alive last Monday.
Relatives of a resident missing after an Iowa building collapsed tell @jdbalart they are demanding the search continues before demolition begins.
"We really need to find them,” says Mike Collier, whose cousin Branden Colvin is missing.
"He's over there, under the rubble." pic.twitter.com/qdns2ZrEUR
— José Díaz-Balart Reports (@JDBalartMSNBC) May 31, 2023
"The recovery of any unaccounted for individuals remains the priority of the City as operational planning progresses," the city's statement stressed.